Looking at the northeast corner of Santiam Highway and Bain Street on Dec. 16, 2023.
For more than five years, the rebuilding of a restaurant on Santiam Highway in Albany had been lagging, but there’s been a lot of progress in the last few months.
I had not noticed this until a bike ride last Saturday took me past 2845 Santiam Highway S.E., the northeast corner of the highway and Bain Street.
For one thing, the place had a new free-standing sign structure with the name of the new restaurant, Rancho Hacienda Real. The sign it replaced had kind of a Chinese look.
For another, the façades facing the highway and Bain Street looked finished.
Also, the city’s building division had approved a permit for sidewalk repair on Nov. 27, and the new concrete walk was under construction on Bain.
In September, Valley Fire Control Inc. took out permits for new fire control systems and two new hoods for the restaurant’s kitchen.
In October, the city issued a permit for a new 1¼-inch water service to supply the restaurant.
For years, people driving past this prominent corner on a busy highway wondered about the status of what seemed like a dormant remodeling project.
Now, passers-by can see that the transformation of that old restaurant into a new one is close to being done. (hh)
This soon to be restaurant is a sister to the one in Salem on Wallace Road. Their Salem restaurant is very good with a nice atmosphere! Let’s try it out!
We enjoy their restaurants all over the Mid-valley. Excellent food and service on Commercial in Salem. Looking forward to their opening.
well this could be “nice”…….
way to drive and see but…….